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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. last — finally
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. track — to keep track
  6. land — to come down
  7. last — final
  8. stock — shares
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. land — a country
  11. track — a path
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. fork — in a road
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. last — to go on
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. file — a tool
  20. land — ground
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. stock — goods
  23. file — a line of people
  24. track — a song

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com